Q&A Scene: A HITCH TO THE STICKS Special: Tim McMillan & Rachel Snow

Tim McMillan & Rachel Snow are on the line-up for the inaugural A HITCH TO THE STICKS bus trip. They answer a few questions for us before the festival hits the road:

About the A HITCH TO THE STICKS festival:

What does A Hitch To The Sticks mean to you?

We are mega excited to be performing this festival!! As we have been based in Europe for a number of years we haven’t had the opportunity to tour in Australia so much. We are stoked for the opportunity to play a festival within a rural community setting as we are hoping to do this more and more in the coming years, and very grateful for this opportunity to get started back in our home country!

At what point of the bus trip are you performing?

We will be performing on the Saturday at a secret location which will only be available to bus ticket holders (it sounds amazing and we imagine a Willy Wonka/Tim Burtonesque vibe with lots of forest goblins.

This event is very unique and features a diverse lineup including our tour buddies DallasFrasca and Whitfield Crane. Our music/set doesn’t really fit into genre specific festivals and we’re always stoked to find original locations/events where we can perform to a crowd of eclectic music lovers!

A bit about you:

Tell us about your new single/ album/ tour?

Our latest album ‘Hiraeth’ is a mixture of Celtic originals, Reworked gypsy jazz, Goblincore folk songs and acoustic metal collaborations featuring some of our tour buddies including Phil Campbell (Motörhead), Ugly Kid Joe and Bär McKinnon (Mr Bungle). It was written and recorded while on tour throughout the year in Europe.

What’s your favourite work at this point in time?

Our current favourite work is a more recent collaboration that we did with Melbourne artist ‘I Built the Sky’. We made the track and video in a couple of days this summer and was overwhelmed by the response online! The tracks called ‘Striations’ and first of our ongoing collab sessions.

Tell us a quick, on the road or studio, anecdote.

We were playing a festival in Sicily last year and were having huge trouble controlling the foldback levels as they were just feeding back non stop. I cut my finger open and was bleeding all over my guitar, then a lady walked into stage and started asking us if we were on holiday and asking us questions about how we like the food there. I told her “I’m in the middle of a song, talk later” my face covered in blood while kicking fold back speakers off the stage. Luckily we realised it was just the soundcheck and were able to do compose ourselves and start again.

What, or who, inspires you?

(Tim) Whit Crane and Devin Townsend

(Rachel) Warren Ellis

What’s next for you?

Next up is a 40 date Tour of Italy’s village theatres and Sicilian festivals in April then back to Germany to begin our next recordings!

What’s your scene?

Post Goblincore

Tim McMillan & Rachel Snow:

Tim McMillan is a percussive fingerstyle guitarist and outlandish yarn spinner from Melbourne, Australia, currently performing over 100 concerts each year across Europe with fellow Aussie violinist/accomplice Rachel Snow.

The duo perform a distinctive mix of styles including Celtic rock, folk, metal & jazz. Tim and Rachel’s shows are filled with athletic guitar stunts, interwoven violin anticsand a magical blend of vocals accompanied by hilarious tales of life in the Australian bush.

Their latest album ‘Hiraeth’ is a collection of instrumental pieces and songs composed & recorded during a year touring through Germany, Italy, Iceland, Sweden, Poland and the U.K. The album also features a variety of guest musicians from the rock world, including members of Motörhead, The Sisters of Mercy, Ugly Kid Joe and Mr Bungle.

“If you find yourself at the same party as Dallas, make sure you’re match fit.” Sarah McLeod, The Superjesus

Ever wanted to hitch a ride onboard your favourite band’s tour bus? Fantasised about starring in the next Almost Famous film? Well, listen up, because Dallas Frasca is about to give you precisely that chance with what is guaranteed to be one of the musical highlights of the year.
The powerhouse Aussie frontwoman and rock and roll icon is throwing a world-first music festival set to take punters on the road this March. Taking place over three days, A Hitch To The Sticks Music Festival is a unique band-tour-meets-VIP-experience that gives audiences a glimpse at a touring musician’s lifestyle in a three day regional bus tour of hand-curated music events, gigs and festivals. With Frasca as your guide, passengers will navigate some of North-East Victoria’s hidden musical gems and undiscovered live music venues and events all from the comfort of your own rowdy, airconditioned tour bus.
For 50 lucky ticket holders, the adventure begins in Melbourne’s CBD on Friday 16 March where the Hitch To The Sticks bus will commence boarding. From there the tour heads North to six secret locations and four public events across Violet Town, Lima, Myrrhee, Tatong, Thoona, Wangaratta and Moyhu until the musical safari touches back down in concrete town on Sunday 18 March.
Transporting passengers direct to the cream of the crop of Regional Victorian music and culture, Dallas has packed a massive lineup of local gigs, events, festivals and experiences into the three day tour, to shine an unforgettable light on the immense musical talent hidden in the quiet corners of our land. Some of the exclusive experiences along the way will include a hedge maze “artist hunt” where punters must follow the music to discover live local artists playing throughout the maze; a rock & roll slumber party in cabin style accommodation (limited VIP upgrades available); celebrity hitchhikers and an intimate live performance by a very special international guest.

“There is something special, indescribable, about experiencing live music in regional Victoria. A travelling music festival on wheels? Sign me up! Music Victoria loves regional live music.” Nick Cooper, Operations / Program Manager Music Victoria.
For those who can’t make it onboard the tour, there are plenty of opportunities to join the disembarking passengers and meet the legendary bus at four public events throughout the tour. This includes the sixth annual Wangaratta Down By The River Festival – a free event offering a kaleidoscope of flavour, music, activity and culture curated by Frasca herself, as well as a bunch of local ticketed events across the weekend.

With the full lineup dropping soon, Dallas and the Hitch To The Sticks team are excited to reveal the first couple of performers eager and ready to board the festival bus – conductor of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra and all-round reggae luminary Nicky Bomba and Beechworth-born singer songwriter Liv Cartledge.

At just 21 years old Liv’s oaky tones and disarming lyrics have captivated audiences around Australia and beyond, with her debut EP Timber an incredible first glimpse of a destined rising talent. Relentless traveller and performer Nicky Bomba is an absolute staple of the local reggae/funk/jazz scene and has contributed to just about as many musical endeavours as he has footprints on the earth. Liv’s regional Victorian roots and local knowledge together with Nicky’s worldly prowess and love of community are sure to make the inaugural A Hitch To The Sticks Music Festival one heck of a kumbaya.

So get ready to sit tight, buckle up and play corners with some new friends when the wheels on the Hitch To The Sticks bus go round and round this March.

Submit Your Gig

Guy Pearce’s scene is quite different to what the singer-songwriter ever imagined. He states: “Well, these days it’s all about my little boy, Monte. He’s my scene. Temporarily living here in Queens Park, London while Carice shoots a new TV show, Monte and I spend many hours, playing with his train set, walking in the park, playing on the slides, going to art classes, eating scrambled eggs together at Minkies cafe, catching the # 52 double decker bus down Chamberlayne Rd and then when he’s asleep for 90 minutes in the middle of the day quickly trying to catch up on [...]